Tampa Bay general manager Jay Feaster said other teams had "tire-kicking" interest in recent trade discussions involving both Dmitry Afanasenkov and Andreas Karlsson, but none were willing to trade assets. Feaster acknowledged that losing one or both to another team without compensation is a legitimate possibility, though if both players clear waivers they will not necessarily be sent to the minor leagues. "If they clear and we are healthy, they will still be with us," Feaster said. "It's a situation where by not being able to get a deal done right now in order to clear cap space, this is another tool that we have available to create some flexibility."